WWTP planning continues

BY MATTHEW YBARRA

Managing editor

Iola City Council is in another budget planning phase, the first that will include the Iola Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) debt rate factored into it.

Iola Mayor, Christina Stover, said the debt that is currently being paid for the WWTP is $6,000. “However, we are going to go ahead and include that which creates an Interest and Sinking Fund that can only be used on the WWTP,” explained Stover. Since this is a new item added to the budget, Stover said they will have to have a special meeting to discuss the debt rate further.

The proposed tax-rate that council will vote on at the Sept. 13, meeting is 14-cents per $100. A proposed Maintenance and Operations (M&O) budget of $54,104.00 will also be presented during the meeting. Iola is anticipated to have tax revenue of $76,205.60.

New Attorney Fees

Iola council members approved an attorney rate increase for Bovey and Cochran of $20 per hour. The new rate for attorney fees is $165 per hour. Stover said Iola has used their services for four years and this is the first proposed rate increase.

WWTP Update

Steve Duncan, an engineer with Bleyl Engineering discussed several aspects of the Iola WWTP. One of the items discussed was the budget which saw a slight increase due to the rising cost of materials. Other items of discussion included a timeline to complete the build of the WWTP, securing easements for the lift stations and the map book the city is working on gathering information for.

The City has a map book they are wanting to update to include locations of septic systems within city limits. They are also taking feedback on potential areas to avoid when digging septic lines to connect to the WWTP. Stover said this will help with the preliminary design phase. She urges property owners to call the Iola City Office, 936-394-2110 to schedule an appointment to discuss the requested information. Citizens that don’t reach out to The City may receive a visit to collect the needed information.